Manual / Guide · 2012

Uniden Bearcat BC355N Scanner — Owner's Manual

Author: Uniden
Year: 2012
Type: Manual / Guide

scanner
radio scanner
uniden
bearcat
owners manual

OWNER’S MANUAL BC355N SCANNER 1 IMPORTANT INFORMATION PRECAUTIONS Before you use this scanner, please observe the following: Warning Uniden America Corporation does not represent this unit to be waterproof. To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shocks, or damage to the unit, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture. ** These products contain Uniden proprietary information. Software, control codes, protocols and other such related matter may be the copyrighted work of Uniden America Corporation. © Copyright 2009-2012, Uniden America Corporation. All Rights Reserved. © 2012 Uniden. This product contains Uniden proprietary information. Uniden ® is a registered trademark of Uniden America Corporation. Bearcat ® is a registered trademark of Uniden America Corporation. Close Call ® is a registered trademark of Uniden America Corporation. 2 THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW This scanner has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a scanning receiver, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This scanner generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. There is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this scanner does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the scanner on and off, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna • Increase the separation between the scanner and the receiver This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. 3 Table of Contents IMPORTANT INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 PRECAUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Scanning Legally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ABOUT YOUR NEW BC355N SCANNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 FEATURE SUMMARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Band Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 USA Band Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Canada Band Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 INCLUDED IN YOUR SCANNER PACKAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 INSTALLING THE BC355N SCANNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 FOR HOME USE (DESKTOP INSTALLATION) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 For Mobile Use (In-Car Installation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Temporary Mobile Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Permanent Mobile Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Permanently Mounting the BC355N Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Permanently Connecting the Mobile Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 SCANNER OPERATION OVERVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 BC355N Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 BC355N Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4 USING YOUR BC355N SCANNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 set up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Adjusting Squelch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Operating Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 SCAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 SEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 SPECIAL NOTES FOR SCANNING PD/FD/EMG AND AIR/MRN BANKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Scanning Service Bank Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Searching Band Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 SCANNING BANKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 SEARCHING BANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 special features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Lock Out Channels / Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Types of Lock Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Temporary Lock Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Permanent Lock Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Lock Out Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Lock Out Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 CLOSE CALL ®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Close Call Priority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Close Call Do Not Disturb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Close Call Only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Setting Up Close Call Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Setting C ‐ C.bAnd Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 5 Setting C ‐ C.ALEt Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Setting C ‐ C.PS Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Close Call Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 PRIVATE BANK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Programming Frequencies and Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Programming a Channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Deleting a Programmed Frequency (programming “000.0000”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Program Lock Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Clear All Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 GENERAL PRODUCT CARE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Birdies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 6 Scanning Legally Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different groups, including police and fire departments, ambulance services, government agencies, private companies, amateur radio services, military operations, pager services, and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive. However, there are some transmissions that you should never intentionally listen to. These include: • Telephone conversations (cellular, cordless, or other private means of telephone signal transmission) • Pager transmissions • Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), you are subject to fines and possible imprisonment for intentionally listening to, using, or divulging the contents of such a conversation unless you have the consent of a party to the conversation (unless such activity is otherwise illegal). This scanner has been designed to prevent the reception of cellular telephone transmissions and the decoding of scrambled transmissions. This is done to comply with the legal requirement that scanners be 7 manufactured so they are not easy to modify to pick up these transmissions. Do not open your scanner’s case to make any modifications that could allow it to pick up transmissions that are illegal to monitor. Modifying or tampering with your scanner’s internal components or using it in a way other than as described in this manual could invalidate your warranty and void your FCC authorization to operate it. In some areas, mobile and/or portable use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit. Check the laws in your area. It is also illegal in many areas (and a bad idea everywhere) to interfere with the duties of public safety officials by traveling to the scene of an incident without authorization. ABOUT YOUR NEW BC355N SCANNER The BC355N comes with 6 Service banks for monitoring police, fire/emergency medical services, marine, air, weather, and CB frequencies. In addition, the BC355N has 13 separate band searches. You can also save up to 300 frequencies that are scanned along with the preset frequencies. So whenever you encounter a newly activated local frequency for any service category, you can add it 8 to the bank for that category. This gives you quick access to the frequencies you want to hear. FEATURE SUMMARY The BC355N is a compact mobile/base scanner and one of the most user-friendly communication products available today. The BC355N features include: • Turbo search – Allows your BC355N to search 180 steps per second. (5 kHz step band only) • Seven Banks – 6 preprogrammed Service banks and one standard, programmable Private bank. These banks include: »» POLICE: 1,769 Factory-programmed Police frequencies with 100 open channels (shared with FIRE/EMG), allowing you to program additional police frequencies into this bank. »» FIRE/EMG: 280 Factory-programmed Fire/EMG frequencies plus an additional 100 (shared with POLICE) open channels for you to program local fire/ EMG frequencies into this bank. Note: The Police and Fire/EMG banks share a single key – PD/FD/EMG. Pressing this key will toggle between 9 the banks. Additional information is provided in later sections. »» AIR: 2,280 Factory-programmed frequencies which covers the complete AIR band, 118.000 to 136.9916 MHz. 100 open channels (shared with MRN) for user frequencies are also included. »» MRN: 90 Factory-programmed frequencies which cover the complete Marine band. 100 open channels (shared with AIR) for user frequencies are also included. Note: The Air and MRN banks share a single key – AIR/ MRN. Pressing this key will toggle between the banks. Additional information is provided in later sections. »» WX: 7 Factory-programmed Weather frequencies covering NOAA Weather Service. »» CB: 40 Factory-programmed frequencies covering CB communications. »» PRIVATE: 100-channel, fully user-programmable bank. • 10 Search Bands (13) – Press BAND to select a band to search. BAND PLANS Your BC355N can operate using either the common band steps used in the USA or Canada. To select a band plan: USA: Press UP while powering on the scanner. Canada: Press DOWN while powering on the scanner. The scanner remembers your setting if you power off. However, if you clear memory by turning on the scanner and pressing and holding PROG and L/O, the scanner is set to the USA band plan. USA Band Plan FREQUENCY (MHz) LOWER UPPER STEP (kHz) MODE SERVICE Petroleum Products & Broadcast Pickup 25.0000 27.9950 5.0 AM CB Class D Channel Business & Forest Products 10 Meter Amateur Band 28.0000 54.0000 5.0 NFM VHF Low Band 108.0000 136.9916 8.33 AM 6 Meter Amateur Band Aircraft Band 11 FREQUENCY (MHz) LOWER 12 UPPER STEP (kHz) MODE SERVICE 137.0000 150.7700 5.0 150.7750 150.8125 7.5 150.8150 154.4525 7.5 154.4562 154.4787 7.5 154.4825 154.5125 7.5 154.5150 154.5250 5.0 154.5275 154.5350 7.5 Military Land Mobile 154.5400 154.6075 7.5 2 Meter Amateur Band 154.6100 154.6475 7.5 154.6500 157.4475 7.5 157.4500 157.4650 5.0 157.4700 163.2450 7.5 163.2500 173.2000 12.5 173.2037 173.2100 6.25 173.2150 173.2200 5.0 173.2250 173.3875 12.5 173.3900 173.3962 6.25 173.4000 174.0000 5.0 NFM Military Land Mobile VHF High Band Federal Government FREQUENCY (MHz) LOWER UPPER STEP (kHz) MODE SERVICE 406.0000 419.9875 12.5 NFM Federal Government 420.0000 449.9875 12.5 NFM 70 cm Amateur Band 450.0000 469.9875 12.5 NFM UHF Band 470.0000 512.0000 12.5 NFM UHF “T” Band* 806.0000 823.9875 12.5 NFM 849.0125 868.9875 12.5 NFM 894.0125 956.0000 12.5 NFM 800 Band * This scanner cannot decode digital TV transmissions. Canada Band Plan FREQUENCY (MHz) LOWER UPPER STEP (kHz) MODE SERVICE Petroleum Products & Broadcast Pickup 25.0000 27.9950 5.0 AM CB Class D Channel Business & Forest Products 10 Meter Amateur Band 28.0000 54.0000 5.0 NFM VHF Low Band 6 Meter Amateur Band 13 FREQUENCY (MHz) LOWER UPPER STEP (kHz) MODE 108.0000 136.9916 8.33 AM 137.0000 174.0000 5.0 NFM SERVICE Aircraft Band Military Land Mobile 2 Meter Amateur Band Military Land Mobile VHF High Band Federal Government 406.0000 419.9875 12.5 NFM Federal Government 420.0000 449.9875 12.5 NFM 70 cm Amateur Band 450.0000 469.9875 12.5 NFM UHF Band UHF “T” Band* 470.0000 512.0000 12.5 NFM 806.0000 823.9875 12.5 NFM 849.0125 868.9875 12.5 NFM 894.0125 956.0000 12.5 NFM 800 Band * This scanner cannot decode digital TV transmissions. 14 Frequency Band Sensitivity (Nominal) 12 dB SINAD 25.000 - 27.995 0.4 µV 28.000 - 54.000 0.3 µV Frequency Band Sensitivity (Nominal) 12 dB SINAD 137.000 - 174.000 0.2 µV 406.000 - 512.000 0.3 µV 108.000 - 136.9916 0.4 µV 806.000 - 956.000 0.4 µV Frequency Band Hum and Noise (Nominal) 25.000 - 27.995 48 dB 28.000 - 54.000 36 dB 137.000 - 174.000 36 dB 406.000 - 512.000 35 dB 108.000 - 136.9916 48 dB 806.000 - 956.000 35 dB Frequency Band Close Call Sensitivity (Nominal) 25.000 - 54.000 450 µV 137.000 - 174.000 150 µV 406.000 - 512.000 130 µV 15 Frequency Band Close Call Sensitivity (Nominal) 108.000 - 136.9916 200 µV 806.000 - 956.000 450 µV INCLUDED IN YOUR SCANNER PACKAGE • • • • • • • • • • BC355N Scanner Telescoping Antenna Flexible Window-Mount Mobile Antenna AC Adapter Vehicle Power Adapter DC Power Cord for hard-wiring power from your car to your scanner. Bracket Screw This Owner’s Manual Other Printed Materials If any of these items are missing or damaged, immediately contact your place of purchase or Uniden Customer Hotline at: 1-800-2971023 during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Optional Accessories The following optional accessories for your BC355N are available: 16 Mobile Mounting Bracket (Model MB-007) – For mobile use (Incar Installation); use it to install the BC355N in your car. External Speaker (ESP20, ESP12, or ESP5) – To increase speaker volume in noisy environments. Contact your local Uniden Dealer or the Uniden Parts Department by calling: (800) 554-3988 during regular business hours Monday through Friday. We can also be reached on the web at www. unidendirect.com. INSTALLING THE BC355N SCANNER FOR HOME USE (DESKTOP INSTALLATION) 1. Insert the DC plug end of the AC Adapter into the DC 13.8V jack on the rear panel. 2. Plug the AC Adapter into a standard 120V AC wall outlet. 3. Plug the Telescoping Antenna into the ANT connector. Extend the antenna to its full height. For frequencies higher than 406 MHz, shortening the antenna may improve the reception. Use the desktop stand (fold out from bottom of unit) for a better viewing and operating angle. 17 Helpful Hints • If strong interference or electrical noise is received, relocate the scanner or its antenna away from the source. • If you are operating the scanner in a fringe area or need to improve reception, use an optional antenna designed for multi-band coverage. (You can purchase this type of antenna at a local electronics store.) • If the optional antenna has no cable, use 50-70 ohm coaxial cable for lead-in. A mating plug may be necessary for the optional antennas. For Mobile Use (In-Car Installation) Temporary Mobile Installation A Vehicle Power Adapter is provided for an easy, temporary power supply. Warning: Do not use the Vehicle Power Adapter in a positive ground vehicle. 1. 18 Plug one end of the Vehicle Power Adapter into the vehicle’s accessory power jack and the other end into the DC 13.8V jack on the back of the scanner. 2. Connect the mobile antenna plug into the ANT connector on the rear panel. For more information on antenna installation, please refer to the instruction guide that came with your mobile antenna. Permanent Mobile Installation Permanently installing the BC355N scanner into a vehicle involves two main steps - physically installing the scanner and physically connecting the power supply. It does not matter which is installed first; perform these procedures in an order that is most appropriate for your vehicle’s configuration. Permanently Mounting the BC355N Unit 1. Select a location in your vehicle to mount the BC355N unit. Avoid any locations that could interfere with your driving. In a passenger car, the ideal location is underneath the dashboard on the passenger side. 2. Use the mounting bracket (optional) as a template for marking the location of the mounting screws. Note: If there are screws already holding the dashboard, you may be able to use the same screw holes to mount the bracket. 19 3. Drill the necessary holes and secure the mounting bracket in place using the screws provided. CAUTION: Do not drill into air bags. Do not drill if what is behind the dashboard is unknown. 4. Mount the scanner to the bracket only after the wiring has been connected to the rear panel. Permanently Connecting the Mobile Power Supply CAUTION: If you are not experienced in connecting accessories to the vehicle fuse box, please see your automotive dealer for advice on proper installation. 20 1. Check the vehicle battery connections to determine which battery terminal (positive or negative) is grounded to the engine block or chassis. Most of today’s vehicles use a negative ground. If your vehicle has a negative ground, follow Steps 2 and 3. Otherwise, skip to the Caution in Step 3. 2. Connect the RED wire of the DC power cord to the accessory contact in your vehicle’s +13.8 VDC fuse box. 3. Connect the BLACK wire of the DC power cord to the negative side of the vehicle (usually the chassis). Caution: In vehicles with a positive ground, the RED wire connects to the chassis and the BLACK wire connects to the accessory contact in the fuse box. 4. Insert the DC plug into the DC 13.8V jack on the back panel. SCANNER OPERATION OVERVIEW BC355N Front Panel 21 KEY PURPOSE HOLD Press this key to stop scanning or searching and to remain on the current frequency. HOLD displays on the screen. Press HOLD a second time to resume scanning. UP and DOWN Press these directional keys to: • • • • PRIVATE 22 Manually search up or down for frequencies while in Hold mode. Change direction of a search during Search mode. Quickly search up or down for frequencies (hold UP or DOWN keys for longer than 1 second) while in Hold mode. Select USA or Canada band plan. Press and hold UP for USA or DOWN for Canada when you turn on the scanner. Scans user-programmed channels programmed into the PRIVATE bank. KEY PURPOSE PD/FD/EMG Press this key to scan the Police, Fire, and Emergency Services bands. Pressing this key cycles through the frequencies in the following order: • • • • Police/Fire/Emergency Services - all activated Police department only (turn off Fire/EMG bank) Fire/EMG only (turn off Police bank) None active (turn off both Police and Fire/ EMG banks) NOTE: The PD and FIRE/EMG banks share 100 PRIVATE channels. These user-programmed channels are scanned after the preprogrammed channels if either service is selected. 23 KEY PURPOSE AIR/MRN Press this key to scan the Air and Marine bands. Pressing this key cycles through the frequencies in the following order: • • • • Air/MRN - both activated Air only (turn off Marine bank) Marine only (turn off Air bank) None active (turn off both Air and Marine banks) NOTE: The AIR and MRN banks share 100 PRIVATE channels. These user-programmed channels are scanned after the preprogrammed channels if either service is selected. To save a marine frequency into a private channel, first hold on the frequency in the Marine Search, then follow the steps starting on page 52 to save the frequency. The frequency will save in NFM mode. 24 KEY PURPOSE Close Call Press this key to begin monitoring for strong, nearby signals. Pressing this key cycles through the frequencies in the following order: • • • - CC checks Close Call ® Priority for Close Call hits every 2 seconds while monitoring other frequencies. You will hear a slight break in reception while Close Call Priority is on. - Checks Close Call Do Not Disturb for Close Call hits every 2 seconds unless the scanner is already receiving a transmission. This prevents the breaks in audio, but can check less often. Close Call Only - Press the Close Call key for longer than 2.5 seconds. The Close Call Priority icon flashes to indicate this mode. WX Press this key to activate the Weather frequencies (7 NOAA). No other channels are scanned while the WX bank is activated. CB Press this key to monitor 40 programmed CB channels. 25 KEY PURPOSE SEARCH Press the SEARCH key to search for active frequencies within a selected band range. L/O Press this key to temporarily or permanently lock out frequencies or channels from being searched or scanned. (L/O is explained in more detail in a later section.) Turn on the scanner while pressing and holding PROG + L/O to clear all memory. BAND Pressing this key displays the upper/lower limits of a band range for 3 seconds (i.e., 406 ‐ 420) and then begins searching that band range. Continue pressing the BAND key for other searchable bands. PROG Press this key to initiate and complete programming a channel or frequency (further detail is provided in a later section). Note: If you press a non-programmable bank key (WX, or CB),”Error” will be displayed; press a programmable bank key. 26 ITEM PURPOSE VOLUME Control/Power Switch Turn this control clockwise to turn on the BC355N unit. Continue turning this control clockwise to adjust the volume. SQ (Squelch) Control Adjust SQ to set the scan threshold. When you are monitoring a single channel in Manual Mode, adjust SQ to eliminate the background noise heard in the absence of an incoming signal. LCD The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) shows the current channel or its frequency. It also displays mode, status, and bank indicators. It utilizes a 7-segment LCD pattern for character display. (Go to “Screens” on page 36 for more details.) 27 BC355N Rear Panel 28 ITEM PURPOSE ANT BNC Antenna Connector. Insert the antenna plug here. EXT SP External Speakers. Insert optional external speaker plug here. DC 13.8V Power Connection. Connect the specified AC Adapter or DC power cord here. USING YOUR BC355N SCANNER set up Adjusting Squelch To Adjust Squelch 1. Turn SQ completely counterclockwise. You should hear open squelch noise. 2. Turn SQ clockwise slowly until the sound disappears. This is the threshold point at which the incoming signal is just slightly stronger than the noise will open the squelch. 3. Adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level. Operating Modes The BC355N operates in two modes - Scan and Search: 29 SCAN Scanning allows you to scan through channels in various service banks. Press a service bank key (PD/FD/EMG, AIR/MRN, WX, CB, or PRIVATE) to find an active frequency within that bank. All activated banks plus their “private” channels are scanned. Press other bank keys to add banks to scan. The Bank label/icon for the scanned frequency flashes while that bank is scanned. When an active frequency is found, the scanner stops on that frequency and the Bank label/icon remains steady. When transmission ends, the scanner pauses 2 seconds for a new transmission. If no new transmission is found, scanning resumes. Press UP to manually continue scanning. Multiple active banks are scanned in order. Note: Before you can scan the Private bank, you must program frequencies into the channels. Refer to “Private Bank” on page 50. SEARCH Search lets you search through pre-grouped bands of frequencies. 30 Press BAND key to select 1 of 13 separate frequency bands to search. Press the SEARCH key to begin searching. The scanner displays frequencies as it searches and stops on active frequencies until that transmission ends. If no transmission resumes after 2 seconds, the search automatically continues through the rest of the band. Use the UP or DOWN key to change the direction of the search or press the BAND key again to change bands. SPECIAL NOTES FOR SCANNING PD/FD/EMG AND AIR/MRN BANKS Two keys are home to multiple banks. The PD/FD/EMG key manages the Police and Fire/Emergency Services banks and the AIR/MRN key manages the Air and Marine banks. Pressing PD/FD/EMG more than once will cycle through the banks in this order: 1. 2. 3. 4. Police/Fire/EMG Police Fire/EMG None NOTE: The PD and FIRE/EMG banks share 100 PRIVATE channels. These user-programmed channels are scanned after preprogrammed channels. 31 Pressing AIR/MRN more than once will cycle through the banks in this order: 1. 2. 3. 4. Air/Marine Air Marine None NOTE: The AIR and MRN banks share 100 PRIVATE channels. These user-programmed channels are scanned after preprogrammed channels. 32 Scanning Service Bank Tips If You Want to Do This - Here’s How - Begin scanning Press any service bank key; the bank label flashes and the SCAN message moves across the display screen. Scanning automatically stops on an active channel and displays that frequency (except for locked-out channels, which will be covered later in this guide). It will stay on that channel until the transmission ends. Note: You must program channels into the PRIVATE bank before you can scan it. Set up multiple service banks to scan Press a desired service bank’s key until it displays. Continue pressing other banks’ keys until all desired banks are displayed (activated). 33 34 If You Want to Do This - Here’s How - Stop scanning Press HOLD. The scanner stays on the displayed channel until scanning is resumed. The bank’s screen label remains steady and does not flash. Resume scanning Press one of the following keys to continue scanning: • HOLD – Press this key to release the Scan Hold and continue scanning. The bank’s screen label resumes flashing. • UP or DOWN - Press these keys to step to the next/previous frequency. Scan Hold remains active but single channels can be monitored. • Any bank key - If you press a different bank key, you will start scanning in that new bank and the bank label will resume flashing. • L/O key - Press this key to lock out this frequency and step to the next frequency If You Want to Do This - Here’s How - Keep scanning after the BC355N has stopped on an active channel If the BC355N stops on an active channel that you do not want to monitor but you do not want to lock out, press the bank key or the UP key. You will scan to the next frequency. Select a different bank to scan Use one of the following two methods: 1. Use the UP key to move through frequencies and banks. 2. Deactivate the bank(s) you do not want to listen to, leaving only the desired band active. Searching Band Tips If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Begin searching Press the BAND key. The screen displays the last known searched band and then begins searching for an active frequency in that band. 35 If You Want to Do This - Here’s How - 36 Continue after the BC355N has stopped on an active channel If the BC355N stops on an active channel that you do not want to monitor but you do not want to lock out, press the SEARCH key or the UP/ DOWN keys. Stop searching Press HOLD. The scanner stays on the displayed channel until searching is resumed. Press HOLD again to resume searching. Select a different band to search Press the BAND key multiple times to search through the available bands. Select USA or Canada band plan When you turn on the scanner, press and hold UP (for USA) or DOWN (for CANADA). Screens This section shows typical screen displays: SCANNING BANKS police fire/emg scan air mRn SCA scan police 45.0600 hold scan This screen shows BC355N is actively scanning a displayed bank. “SCAN“scrolls from right to left across the screen, and the scanned bank will flash. This screen shows that the scanner has been put on HOLD to monitor frequency 45.0600 on the Police bank. 37 SEARCHING BANDS 148 ‐ 174 SRCH 409.9875 SRCH ▲ When BAND is pressed, this screen displays the band range to be searched. Press BAND again (or UP/DOWN within 3 seconds) to see other band ranges. This SEARCH screen shows that frequency 409.9875 has been found through an upward search. Pointers ( ▲or ▼) indicate the direction of the search - up or down. special features The BC355N scanner boasts of several special features: 38 • Lock Out Channels/Frequencies • Close Call • Private Bank • Program Frequencies into Programmable Banks. • Program Lock • Clear All Memory Lock Out Channels / Frequencies Sometimes the scanner may stop on a particular channel or frequency because of noise or other unwanted transmissions. This feature lets you lock out channels and frequencies you don’t want to scan. The Lock Out feature skips these channels and frequencies during scanning. Types of Lock Out Temporary Lock Out Pressing L/O once temporarily locks out the current frequency or channel. The scanner displays “T L/O” for that frequency or channel and continues scanning. All “T L/O” frequencies/channels are restored when the scanner is powered off and back on. 39 Permanent Lock Out Pressing L/O twice permanently locks out the current frequency or channel. The scanner displays “L/O” for that frequency or channel and continues scanning. “L/O” frequencies/channels can be manually restored; the procedure is provides in this section. Lock Out Limits Any of the 300 user-programmed channels can be locked out; however, there is a limit to the number of frequencies that can be locked out of a preprogrammed bank or band search. Up to 100 frequencies can be permanently locked out, and up to 100 frequencies can be temporarily locked out. If you try to permanently or temporarily lock out 101 frequencies, the scanner releases the first locked out frequency when you lock out the 101st frequency. Locking out a frequency in any service bank or search band locks it out in all service banks or search bands. However, it will not affect the frequency if you have saved it in a channel. You can only lock out all the channels or frequencies in the Private, CB, and MRN banks. If you lock out all the channels or frequencies 40 in one of these banks, pressing that bank key will make the scanner emit an error tone and the scanner will not scan. Note: You cannot lock out any frequencies in the WX bank. Lock Out Tips If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Temporary Lock Out While on a channel or frequency, press L/O once. The scanner beeps and temporarily locks out that channel and displays T L/O. If the scanner was not in Hold mode, it then resumes scanning. If the scanner was in Hold mode, it does not resume scanning until one of the following actions is taken: • Press HOLD again to release the Scan Hold function. Scanning resumes on that bank. 41 If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Temporary Lock Out (Cont.) • • Permanent Lock Out Press the bank you were scanning to resume scanning in that bank. Press a different bank key to begin scanning that new bank. While on a channel or frequency, quickly press L/O key twice. The scanner locks out that channel or frequency, displays T L/O and then L/O, and then resumes scanning. Search for Permanently The scanner does not stop on locked Locked-Out Channels or out channels or frequencies while Frequencies scanning; to search for and display locked out channels or frequencies, press HOLD, then use UP or DOWN to search manually through the bank. L/O appears on the screen to indicate the lock out. 42 If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Restoring a Single Locked-Out Channel or Frequency (Example: Channel 12 of the Private bank is locked out.) 1. Press the appropriate bank key (PRIVATE, PD/FD/EMG or AIR/ MRN) to start scanning the bank that has the channel or frequency you want to unlock. 2. Press HOLD to stop scanning. (HOLD and SCAN must appear on the screen.) 3. Use UP or DOWN keys to find the specific locked out channel or frequency (in this example, Channel 12, which displays L/O). Press L/O. 43 If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Restoring a Single Locked-Out Channel (Cont.) 4. L/O disappears to indicate that Channel 12 is now unlocked and restored for scanning. Note: For the factory preprogrammed channels, the earliest channel will be unlocked when you lock out more than 100 channels. Restoring All Permanently Locked Out Channels/ Frequencies 44 1. You can unlock all locked out programmable channels and search skip frequencies in any bank at one time. Press a bank key to start scanning. 2. Press HOLD to stop scanning. 3. Press and hold L/O for more than 2.5 seconds until you hear two beeps. If You Want to Do This - Here’s How Restoring All Permanently Locked Out Channels/ Frequencies (Cont.) 4. All locked out channels/ frequencies in that bank are now unlocked and restored for scanning. Note: When that bank is the Private bank, all locked out channels of the Private bank are restored CLOSE CALL ® The Close Call feature enables you to search for strong signals close to your location. These signals could be from a nearby police car key activates or fire engine or other radio source. Pressing the the Close Call functions in the following order: 1. Close Call Do Not Disturb 2. Close Call Priority 3. Close Call Off Pressing and holding the mode. key acativates Close Call Only 45 Close Call Priority until the Close Call Priority icon displays. Repeatedly press The scanner checks every 2 second for a nearby transmission. You may hear a slight break in audio during this time. Close Call Do Not Disturb Repeatedly press until the Do Not Disturb icon displays. The scanner will periodically make Close Call checks whenever it is not receiving audio in another mode . Close Call Only Press and hold until the scanner displays a line of dashes and the icon flashes. The scanner is now in Close Call Only mode. It will only try to find Close Call transmissions. This is also the first step to accessing the Close Call Setup modes. Setting Up Close Call Modes 46 1. Press and hold to enter the Close Call Only mode. The screen displays a line of dashes. 2. Press • • C - C.bAnd - Select which bands Close Call will check. C - C.ALEt - Select alerts on/off. again to display the Close Call menu selections: • C - C.PS - Set Pager screen. 3. Use the UP or DOWN keys to scroll through the menu selections. 4. Press PROG to select a menu, and then scroll up or down to view the menu options. When you have selected a menu option, press PROG to set it. 5. Press BAND key to return to the previous option, or press to return to the CC mode selection options. Setting C ‐ C.bAnd Options Use this menu to select which bands get Close Call checks: Band Name Frequency (MHz) b1 Lo VHF Low Band 25.0000 - 54.0000 b2 Air AIR Low Band 108.0000 - 136.9916 b3 Hi VHF High Band 137.0000 - 174.0000 b4 UHF UHF Band 406.0000 - 512.0000 b5 800 800MHz Ba